Life Below Water - World Wildlife Day 2019

This year's World Wildlife Day focuses on the theme of ‘Life below water: For People and Planet’ and at Dive Worldwide, we are committed to our role as ocean ambassadors.

The ocean has the power to support communities, provide food and jobs to millions of people, as well as enriching countless lives culturally, spiritually and recreationally.

Covering 71% of the planet, the ocean is the Earth’s largest ecosystem, containing nearly 200,000 identified wildlife species, with countless other species still undiscovered. More than three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. However, around 40% of the ocean has now become damaged by over exploitation of marine species, pollution, loss of coastal habitats and climate change.

World Wildlife Day 2019 is hoping to raise awareness about the breathtaking diversity of marine life, the crucial importance of marine species to human development, and how we can make sure it will continue to provide these services for future generations.

As divers we are ocean ambassadors. We've seen the amazing beauty of the underwater world, but also the heartbreaking sights that are caused by human impact. We have the ability to make a change and show the world what’s actually happening, giving the ocean a voice. On World Wildlife Day, we are celebrating the wonderful wildlife that lives in our oceans and the joy of diving with them…

Despite having to compete against a bad reputation, sharks are one of the most impressive species that fill our waters. From the gentle whale shark, to silent schools of hammerheads and adrenaline pumping encounters with great whites, diving alongside sharks is a truly exceptional experience.

Sharks are becomingly increasingly vulnerable, so we support positive ecotourism to provide livelihood from educational and adventurous experiences around sharks instead of fishing, and we work alongside the brilliant charity that is BiteBack Shark & Marine Conservation.

Intelligent, giant and brilliantly impressive, whales are also some of the finest animals to grace our planet. These gentle giants glide gracefully through our oceans often on long migrations, allowing divers to share the waters with breaching humpbacks, encounter curious minke whales and even come face to face with friendly grey whales.

From the ocean’s giants to the teeny tiny. Hidden away under the water are some of the weirdest and most wonderful creatures on the planet, from wunderpus and frogfish to nudibranch and pygmy seahorse. Muck or critter diving offers the chance to hunt for unusual and unique species, to gain a greater knowledge about specific species and marine diversity and is perfect for underwater photography.

The ocean's colourful reefs are bursting with life, and home to a quarter of all marine species. A coral reef is not a single entity, but is made of up billions of tiny animals, called polyps that work together to build a coral reef. This vital marine ecosystem faces many threats, including ocean acidification, warming ocean temperatures, pollution and overfishing.

On top of all these fabulous species, the Earth’s oceans are filled with beautiful schools of fish, turtles, dolphins and so much more! With all this beauty in our oceans, and the integral role they play in our lives, what more reason do you need to help protect them! What are you doing this World Wildlife Day to help protect the wildlife in our oceans?

Find out more at World Wildlife Day or speak to one of our experts to find out more about diving with some of the ocean's most incredible wildlife.